While several streamers accept donations from fans, Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg has announced that he is abandoning the practice. Given the amount of money that YouTube has invested in the streamer, it comes as little surprise that he would no longer need these types of donations, but PewDiePie elaborated on his November 5th stream about why he chose to move away from the practice, stating that he appreciates just being able to chat with fans. PewDiePie took it a bit further, stating that it’s strange how it’s a common practice in streaming, and if a fan gave him money on the street, he wouldn’t accept the money.
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“It was actually when I did my donating to Twitch streamer video that made me realize just how weird it is to donate money to people,” said PewDiePie. “Like if someone gave me that money on the street I would be like “what the f**k no” but for some reason if I’m streaming, “pay me.” I don’t get it. It just makes no sense.”
It’s certainly an interesting take, and it does highlight some of the awkwardness of the donation process. A lot of smaller streamers count on these types of donations from fans, but PewDiePie is clearly in a different situation. The streamer signed an exclusive live streaming contract with YouTube back in May, and he remains one of the platform’s biggest hits. It will be interesting to see whether or not other streamers follow PewDiePie’s lead, but the streamer did go on to say that he does not begrudge those that do accept donations.
“I’m not judging other people. From my perspective, it doesn’t make sense. So, I’m not accepting it, I don’t think I need it,” said PewDiePie.
Donations to streamers can sometimes prove problematic, particularly those with younger audiences. Earlier this year, a mother revealed that her teenage son had donated nearly $20,000 to various streamers on Twitch using her debit card. While the woman was eventually able to recuperate most of the funds, it proved to be extremely difficult, and it served to highlight some of the potential problems with the donation process. Moves like PewDiePie’s could remove some of those potential headaches!
Are you happy to see streamers moving away from donations? What do you think about PewDiePie’s reasoning? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
